1. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of electronic devices and more particularly to the field of controlling heat dissipation in an integrated circuit.
2. History of Related Art
As microprocessor designs grow increasingly more complex, they demand a larger functional area and typically consume more power. The area required to perform the necessary requirements of modern microprocessors has caused the industry to concentrate on moving devices increasingly closer together to limit physical chip sizes and increase clock speed. Because of this trend, power density has become a major consideration in the design of microprocessors. In dense chips, the proximity of heat producing functional blocks coupled with high clock speeds can cause the generation of more heat than the device is physically capable of dissipating. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to address this problem by simply consuming more space or eliminating selected functional blocks. Therefore, it would be desirable to implement an integrated circuit such as a microprocessor capable of actively monitoring the heat it produces and to take corrective action when the heat exceeds a threshold.